Neither Friend Nor Foe
by tickledpink92
Summary: Aria Montgomery is a popular writer for an online college eBook community called HollisWrites, where she meets a mysterious individual named "E" who hates her writing. Still in high school, she can keep writing her stories on the college website so long as her identity is kept hidden. However, she and E develop a love-hate relationship and Aria must decide if anonymity is worth it.
1. Chapter 1

**Okay guys, I know I'm working on **_**Falling Slowly**_** (please go read it if you haven't) but I really wanted to write this AU story. I was inspired by an idea from another website, and wondered how it would play out if applied to Ezria. It's different but I hope you like it! PLEASE review!**

Aria Montgomery logged onto to her HollisWrites account. The night before, she'd posted a new story and could no longer fight the anticipation of reading the reviews from other writers. HollisWrites was the University's online literary community where English major students submitted their works of fiction to be read by other students. Though she was still in high school, Aria's dad worked as a professor at Hollis and managed to get an account. He thought it would help develop her writing, and as long she could keep her age a secret, she could keep the account. So far, Aria had mainly stuck to the romance genre and much to her surprise, was one of the top writers in the field. The community of college friends that she'd made on the website gave her so much support, and it did wonders for her confidence. Unlike most kids her age, Aria knew what she wanted in life and she wasn't afraid to pursue it.

Braving herself, she opened up her latest story and began reading the reviews. It appeared that there was a really great reception, and people loved it. That was until Aria reached the very last comment-someone with the username "E" managed to make her heart sink with just a sentence:

E: I was cringing through most of this...you've obviously never been in love before.

Sure, Aria had received criticism before, but it was always constructive and kindly worded. This "E" character had no right to bring her personal life into a review like that. Who did they think they were? Aria clicked on their profile and discovered "E" was a male whose favorite poet was Ezra Pound, at least judging from the picture of Ezra Pound he had on his avatar. Besides that, there was no information indicating who he was, aside from the two poems he'd posted. Clicking on one, Aria read through and realized she had to read it once again-because it was that good. The poem was slightly too dark for her liking, but she grudgingly admit that he was a really great poet. Still, that gave him no right to attack her like that; maybe she was overreacting, but she'd never seen anyone write a review like that before. Making a rash decision, she decided to message him and let him know exactly how she felt about his little snide comment.

Ari.A: Hello there. Thank you for rude and tasteless comment on my story. I don't know why you read it if you were cringing so much, but thanks for that extra read that I can add to my stats. Have a good day!

She wanted to add "douche" at the end, but decided against it to her better judgement. Suddenly, her laptop pinged. "E" was online it seemed.

E: Someone's bitter ;). If you can't take it, don't put yourself out there, babe. Rule of life.

Aria fumed with rage.

Ari.A: Number 1, _don't_ call me "babe" and secondly, you're a douche. Good day.

Aria got ready to log off, but he responded right away.

E: Don't leave yet, _babe_. I'm just doing you a favour. Don't you want to know why I hated it so much? Tsk, not the sign of someone who wants to take writing seriously.

Aria clenched her fist, but realized he was right. She did want to know what was so terrible about her writing. _Jerk_.

Ari.A: Why

E: Well, it's too ethereal and idealistic. Hate to break it to you, but love doesn't work like that.

Aria scoffed. Obviously she knew love didn't work like that, that's why fiction existed.

Ari.A: And I suppose you're an expert? Please, E, teach me more about love.

E: Thought you'd never ask ;). Name the time and place, and I'm there.

Aria blushed a little. _What a typically egotistical alphamale. _

Ari.A: Shut up. What's your name anyway?

He didn't respond right away, and Aria found herself slightly disappointed. Maybe she shouldn't have asked that. Just as she got ready to log off, she heard a ping.

E: Why do you want to know?

Ari.A: So I can find out where you live and kick your ass.

E: Kinky ;). If I told you any more about myself, you'd fall in love. You may refer to me as "E" or actually, I like "Your Highness" better.

_You may refer to me..._wow, could he BE anymore obnoxious?

Ari.A: How about I refer to you as "Douche?"

E: With a capital "D" too?! Babe, you flatter me.

"Aria! Come down for dinner, honey! Jacob's here."

Despite the fact that her best friend was over for dinner, Aria found herself wanting to talk more to the enigmatic douche that was "E". Sighing, she bid him farewell.

Ari.A: I have to go now. Don't leave me anymore mean comments, or I will find you.

E: Haha! Good for you, Aria. Best to get away before you fall in love with me.

Aria groaned. It wasn't the fact that he'd once again managed to sound full of himself, but the fact that he'd addressed her by her name for the first time. It made her heart flutter, which was ridiculous. How could a stranger calling her by her name get a reaction like that? Maybe E was right, she was too far into romanticism.

Ari.A: This isn't over yet, E. Good night.

With that, she logged off and went down for dinner. Her mom had cooked broccoli lasagne, Jacob's favourite. Her whole family loved Jacob. The two had grown up together, and had been best friends since the day he'd defended her in kindergarten when the class bully, Samuel, tried to pull her hair. Jacob was like a brother to her, and probably the only person besides her friend Kyiala who knew just about everything about her.

"Jacob!" She squealed, jumping into his outstretched arms. Jacob laughed as he playfully tousled her hair.

"Someone's happy to see me." He beamed.

Aria's mother sent her a knowing glance behind his back. For some reason, she had it in her head that they would end up together despite Aria's constant referring to Jacob as her brother. Rolling her eyes, she took a seat at the table.

"So, how'd the latest post go? Everyone love your story?" Her father asked as they all dug in.

Aria thought about E, and only managed a weak smile in response. It was crazy how you could get a million people telling you they loved you, and it only took one person to claim otherwise and break you down. Just because she now understood where he was coming from, didn't mean it hurt any less.

"Not exactly. I mean, most people liked it but one person told me they were cringing all the way through and that I knew nothing about love."

Jacob put his fork down. "What? Who the hell said that?"

Aria shrugged. She wasn't about to delve into her conversation with E, it felt too personal.

"Well, if you find out, tell me who and you know I won't hesitate to make a friendly visit to wherever they live."

Aria smiled, squeezing Jacob's hand to show her gratitude.

"Me too!" Her younger brother, Mike, jumped in. They all laughed and Aria found her thoughts drifting back to E. Jacob wasn't the only one who wanted to know who he was.

Later that night, Aria logged back on to see if he had messaged her since, and found nothing. She wondered if he was done with her, and realized she didn't want him to be. Suddenly, an idea came to her, and she opened up Google Docs.

**The** next morning, Aria rushed out of bed to check the feedback on her latest HollisWrites short story. Good thing it was summertime, because she'd stayed up the whole night writing it so that a certain someone could see it as soon as possible.

Unlike her usual stories, this one was a thriller romance. The response, though, was the same. Aria began to wonder if people actually read her stories anymore or simply left automated reviews. Maybe E was the only one who really paid any attention to what she wrote. What that thought in mind, she skimmed through the responses and couldn't find what she was looking for. Clicking on her inbox, she saw that there was one unread message. Sure enough, there he was.

E: You dedicated a story to me. How cute ;)

_That's it?_ Aria thought. She'd stayed up all night writing a story about a girl who went insane and ended up killing the love of her life, a mysterious man named E. Sure, it was weird to write about murdering someone who was a real person, but somehow it was different with E. She knew from the dark poems he wrote that he would not mind being killed off in a story in the least-in fact, he would probably think it was art. Yet, she'd only written this story in order to aggravate him, it wasn't particularly her best.

Reading his message once more, she decided she wouldn't write back until he came up with a more appreciative response. In the meantime, she went back on his profile and noticed that he too had posted a new poem.

Her phone rang then and she almost let it go unanswered until she saw that it was Kyiala.

"Hello?"

"Girl, where've you been? I haven't seen you in two days! We need to hit the mall, summer's almost over."

Aria rolled her eyes. Kyiala was a shopping fiend, and they had in fact, just shopped a couple days ago.

"Kyiala, not today, please?" She begged, "I'm working on my writing."

Kyiala sighed, "You've spent the majority of this summer working on your writing, Aria. Come on, live a little. How about this? We don't have to go shopping, let's go to the beach instead. We can go shopping for cute guys."

Aria felt bad saying no, but going to the beach was the last thing she wanted to do on a cold day. It was late August, and before she knew it, Aria would be starting her senior year at Rosewood High. Senior year meant obsessing over college applications and joining as many clubs as possible and building her resume, which left no time for writing.

"Kyiala, I promise I'll go out with you tomorrow if you let me write today."

"Fine, but I'm holding you to it. Don't forget! And we get to do whatever I want."

Aria smiled in spite of herself-knowing Kyiala, that probably meant shopping. "Sounds like a plan."

Hanging up, she went back to E's poem. Like the others, it was beautifully written and sent chills down her spine. Aria could tell he'd spent sometime on it, even though it flowed naturally. She decided to leave a nice comment and noticed that he already had one from a girl named JackieO.

JackieO: Damn, that turned me on, E! I wouldn't mind you riding me like that little girl rode the balloon ;)

Aria was disgusted to say the least. How could someone take a beautiful poem like that and try to devalue it with a crude comment? Even though E had left her a less than kind comment, she made up her mind to show her appreciation for his work.

AriA: Have to admit...this is incredible, E. The right juxtaposition of evocative syntax and whimsical elements-honestly, a surreal experience reading this. The most impressive aspect is how you used that coalescence to amplify the pervasive sense of guilt to a terrifying degree.

Satisfied with her comment, she hit send just as another comment popped up under JackieO. It was a response from E.

E: Oh baby, I might just have to take you up on that ;).

Aria felt her mouth hanging open. He liked her comment? Suddenly, she felt like an idiot. Here he was, flirting with another girl, while she took her time to write what she thought was a meaningful response. Maybe he'd written the poem for the Jackie girl, maybe it was all sexual innuendo and she'd been too stupid to understand what it was really about. Quickly deleting her comment, she prepared to log off only to see that a new private message awaited her.

Almost too embarrassed to open it, she considered leaving it be but curiosity got the best of her and she clicked.

E: Thank you for that comment, Aria. It means a lot.

Her heart swelled. That was the nicest thing he'd said to her so far.

AriA: You're welcome. I meant it :)

E: Why'd you delete it?

AriA: I thought...maybe I was interrupting something between you and JackieO.

E: Ahh ;). Jealous?

AriA: Not. at. all.

E: I hope not ;). You can't fall in love with me, remember? I'll talk to you later, my hot date calls.

The smile on Aria's face wiped off almost immediately. He was going on a date. Of course he was. He was probably a player in reality. Aria usually wasn't into that type, but here she was, unhappy at the prospect of him flirting with other girls. Who was this guy and what he done to her in such short a time?

Kyiala's proposition didn't sound so bad anymore. Aria called her up and told her to get ready; they were going to the beach and they would find hot guys, damn it.

Aria didn't message him back until a few days later, when she could no longer handle it. He hadn't messaged her either, but he had gone through each of her stories and commented with his typical rude remarks about her lack of experience in love. She felt herself growing angry each time she read them, but at the same time, she liked that he was thinking of her. Finally, she sent him a message telling him to stop commenting on her stories if he was going to mean all the time.

E: But babe, that's my job. No one else is going to tell you how it is.

AriA: I get it, okay? I don't know anything about love. Thank you for drilling it into my head. You can move with your life now.

As soon as she hit enter, she regretted it. What if he took her reply to mean that he should move on with his life away from her?

E: :( Don't be mad, love. You know I don't like fighting with you.

Aria felt her breath quicken. Why did he have to say that? How could he be so thoughtless and then turn around and say something that made her feel like jelly?

AriA: Why do you act like we're friends? You won't even tell me your name.

E: Because we are. And you know why! No falling in love.

Aria sighed. If he didn't want to divulge his name, then fine. She wouldn't push it, even though it hurt that he didn't care enough to do so.

AriA: Whatever.

With that, she logged off and went downstairs to wait for Kyiala and Jacob. She'd had enough of HollisWrites for the day.

Later that night, Aria came home from the beach to find her mom packing in a frenzy.

"Mom, what's wrong?"

"Aria! Thank God you're home. Grandma's relapsed and we're leaving to see her in an hour."

Aria felt her legs give out. Her grandmother was one of the most important people in her life. She was the only living grandparent alive on her dad's side, and the closest living relative, a state away. For a couple years now, she had been fighting a rare stomach disorder. For the most part, the meds had kept her out of the hospital, but lately, her body had begun rejecting them.

Taking a breath, Aria made her way to her room to pack. Lost in her thoughts, she managed to pack enough clothes and her toothbrush before heading back downstairs to comfort her dad. When everyone had packed, they left the house for the little island her grandmother lived on. It was only in the car as Aria texted her friends to let them know she was leaving that she realized she hadn't told E. The island wouldn't have wifi, and there was no way she would able to log on to HollisWrites until they got back. It didn't matter, she told herself, brushing off the idea of E missing her.

_He probably won't even realize I'm not there,_ she thought bitterly.

When the Montgomerys arrived at the island, they were informed that grandma Ira was in stable condition. Aria breathed a sigh of relief, and smiled gently at her dad. _Grandma was going to be alright._

As it so happened, the hospital discharged her the next day with a new prescription for drugs that had just been introduced to the States. They had been successful in places like Russia and Azerbaijan, where randomly enough, the disease was most prevalent. The family decided to stay for the rest of the week. Aria spent her days sitting beside her grandmother in her backyard, which overlooked a lake, reading and talking about everything under the sun. Her grandma told her that she looked different, and cheekily asked if there was a new guy in Aria's life. Aria's mind immediately went to E, and she flushed, shaking her head in an affirmative no.

When the Montgomerys returned from the trip, Aria felt much more well rested and ready for school. Her grandmother was back on her feet, and she'd had the break she needed from writing. Now, she could finally get back to it with a fresh start.

The first thing Aria did after they'd had dinner, was log onto HollisWrites. If she was completely honest, it was to check up on a certain someone. She missed E.

To her surprise, her inbox was flooded with messages. All from one person. They dated back to a week ago, and got more frantic as the days passed. It seemed that E thought something bad had happened to Aria...and he cared. The last message was particularly intriguing.

E: Aria, I'm sorry.

Aria had to bite her lip to keep from smiling so much. He really cared. When she'd calmed down slightly, she wrote back.

AriA: Sorry for what?

Almost immediately, he responded.

E: ARia?! What the hell! Where've you been?

Part of her felt bad; if he'd given any indication that he cared, maybe she would've remembered to say bye.

AriA: I'm sorry, E. My grandmother fell ill so the family took off to see her. There was no wifi so I couldn't go online.

E: I'm sorry to hear that. Is doing alright now?

Aria was touched. It was sweet of him to forgive her so easily and instead focus on her grandmother's health.

AriA: Yes, she is doing just fine now. Thank you for asking :)

E: You're welcome :). You know what I realized though, if I had your number, I could've avoided all the worrying ;).

Aria felt her heart speed up. He wanted her number? Instead of answering him directly, she decided to have a little fun.

AriA: You were worried about me? ;)

E: Yes. Now give me your number!

Aria smiled.

AriA: Hmm. How do I know you're not some 50 year old creeper?

E: That's exactly what I am. Now, are you willing to service my old man desires or shall I take my fake teethed self elsewhere?

AriA: E! Shut up. If you really want my number, you're going to have to tell me your name.

There was no answer for a few minutes, almost as if he was hesitating. Finally, he wrote back.

E: It's Ezra.

Aria let out a breath. _Finally_. She tried the name out on her tongue, and smiled. Hence, the Ezra Pound, she realized.

AriA: Ezra.

E: God, I love how you say my name. Now, about that number…

AriA: Why do you want it so badly anyway? I probably won't be going back to my grandmother's for a long time.

E: Aria…

She could almost hear the frustration in his writing and grinned. Deciding to appease him, she wrote it down and hit "send." Not long after, she received a text.

"Hey babe, guess who ;)"

As she was about to respond, Aria realized that she had his number now-that meant she could finally put a voice to Ezra's name. Before she could think about it, Aria called him.

The phone seemed to ring for ages, only exasperating the anticipation. Aria could barely breathe.

Finally, someone answered. There was no sound on the other end.

"Hello? Ezra?" she asked uncertainly.

The line cut; he'd hung up on her. Dejected, she wondered why he hadn't talked. She couldn't deny the yearning she had to hear his voice, to make him real.

"Why won't you talk to me?" She texted.

He didn't respond, and she gave up waiting soon after. It was near midnight, and her eyes drooped with fatigue. Just as they closed, the phone rang and she rushed to answer it.

"Goodnight, Aria. Your voice is beautiful." A hoarse voice told her before hanging up.

Aria stayed still, reveling in his words. Though she hadn't imagined what his voice would sound like prior to hearing it, it didn't sound anything like what she would have thought. It was deep and had an amused tone to it. And it was _sexy_. Damn, it was sexy.

She couldn't believe it, but Aria thought she was falling in love with a voice.


	2. Chapter 2

"Jacob, give me back the phone." Aria warned, climbing over Kyiala to reach for his hand. Much to her annoyance, her best friends were playing hot potato with her phone after complaining that she was on it too much and wasn't any attention to them.

Kyiala giggled as Jacob easily dodged Aria. "Tell us who you're texting all the time and I'll give it back."

Aria groaned with her head in her hands.

"Well then, we can do this the hard way. Siri, please show me Aria's recent texts."

"No!" Aria screamed. "Fine, I'll tell you-just, give me back the phone. Please." She tried out puppy eyes. Unlike Kyiala, Jacob couldn't handle them.

"Fine," he grumbled, handing it back despite Kyiala's protests.

Aria smiled secretly; with the phone now safe in her hands, she had no intention of telling them anything. Unfortunately, Jacob had a plan. Grabbing her, he and Kyiala held her down on the bed.

"Tell us." Kyiala ordered, taking charge.

Aria knew she was outnumbered. Sporting a defeated look, she decided to oblige them.

"It's just a...friend. His name is Ezra." She couldn't help the light blush that tinted her cheeks as she said his name.

This little fact did not go unnoticed by her friends.

"A friend you say?" Jacob grinned.

"Oh Ezraaa!" Kyiala drawled with a hand on her head, only making Aria blush harder.

"Shut up," Aria muttered, tugging at her arms until they let go.

"So, tell us about Ezra. How did you two meet?"

Aria sat up and sighed. She had to tell them at some point.

"We haven't exactly met...well, not in person at least."

They gaped at her. "What the hell does that mean? You didn't meet this person on the internet or something, right?" Jacob laughed, waiting for her to join in.

Aria stiffened, and he immediately stopped.

"Please tell me you're joking." He implored with serious eyes.

She shrugged, not knowing what else to do.

"Aria," Kyiala said with a serious tone, "this isn't like you at all. Are you sure you can trust this guy?"

Jacob scoffed, "Please, don't call him a 'guy' just yet. We have no idea who this person is, you have no idea what you're doing, Aria."

Aria felt hurt. How could her friends think so little of her? Of course she knew Ezra was real, there was no doubt in her mind. She'd always been the careful one, always a good judge of character. Why couldn't they trust her?

"I'm a little disappointed that my friends would have so little faith in me," she shook her head. "I have always been the rational one, I've never done anything crazy like you guys. Maybe this is a little out of my element, but shouldn't you guys trust my judgement? I've always been there to support you, it's a shame I can't get that in return the only time I've ever needed it."

With that, she walked out of the room and slammed the door behind her. She knew they'd give her some time to cool off, and hopefully in that time, they'd come to their senses and at least grudgingly offer their support. Deep down, Aria knew they were only trying to protect her, especially Jacob. But somehow, she felt Ezra would be an important part of her life, and it was important that they accepted him. Maybe a phone call from him would convince them? Would he be willing to do that? Since that initial phone call, they'd talked over the phone a grand total of two times. Apparently he was busy with meetings and preparations for his new job, something he was really excited about. What the job was, he wouldn't tell. Not yet, anyway.

The rarity of the calls made them more special, and anticipation for the next one drove her mad. As many times as Aria reached for the phone to dial his number, she never did. She feared interrupting a meeting or worse, a date. Even though Ezra no longer seemed to talk to that JackieO character on HollisWrites, or anyone else besides her for that matter, she didn't fool herself into thinking he didn't date. After all, it wasn't like he was interested in her or anything. Sure, they flirted and he teased her incessantly, but that was always the extent of it. Aria had asked him numerous times where he lived, hoping that by some miracle, he lived in Rosewood. But he would never tell her, usually evading the question or giving her some cryptic response.

Her complex relationship had Aria feeling all sorts of ways, and that reflected in her writing. The last short story she'd written was something that took her two weeks to complete. Unlike the rest of her work, the ending was depressing. Her protagonist waited twenty-five long years for her husband to return from war...and he never did; she died heartbroken, never to reunite, never to find out what had become of him. Despite the fact that Ezra couldn't spend much time on HollisWrites lately, he'd taken the time to write her a review-a really, really nice review. Aria had to pinch herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming, but there it was:

E: Aria, I am bowled over. I always knew you had it in you to write something like this. It's obviously thanks to me, considering all the constructive criticism I've given you on the horribly cliche stories you used to write. Aren't you happy to have me around? Anyway, I think you should let me edit this and submit it to the HollisWrites 2014 Short Story Contest. Yes, it's that good. x -E

The comment made her grin like crazy, and she remembered thinking at the time, _I am so happy to have you around, Ezra._

Of course, there was no way she could enter a contest for university students but she couldn't tell him that. Instead, she said she had something better in the works and would wait for next year's contest to submit it. Ezra, of course, wasn't having it. Aria shook her head, thinking about how adamant he'd been.

E: Aria, you're making a mistake. This story is too good to hoard to yourself! I won't let you do it.

Ari.A: Ezra, I know what I'm doing. And don't you think you might be a little biased now? We are friends after all. The story could suck for all I know and you just like me too much to see that. :)

E: Argh, babe, you are too stubborn for your own good, you know that? And delusional. I don't like you at all. ;)

Ari.A: Why are you so mean to me? You could at least lie and tell me you like me!

E: I like you a lot, Aria.

Her heart had tugged at that. Of course he didn't mean it in the way she wanted him to, but he hadn't put a wink or a silly smile after that sentence and she wanted to think that maybe, just maybe, he was being serious. Then again, she was a girl and reading too much into things was pretty much a leading characteristic of her species.

Ari.A: I appreciate your lies, Ezra. :) Now, can we change the subject?

E: No. Why won't you submit the story?

Ari.A: Why won't you tell me where you live?

E: That's how you want to play it, huh? Why do you want to know so badly, anyway? You know me. Isn't that enough?

_No, _she'd wanted to write. _No, it's not enough. I want to see the colour of your eyes, feel the touch of your hands, know what it's like to hug you. Is your hair brown? When you smile, does your face crinkle? _

But she couldn't say any of that. It would scare him away. So, instead, she'd sent a more subdued version.

Ari.A: I just think it'd be cool if we lived close by or something. We could meet up, I could punch you for all the terrible things you've said :). Can't you at least tell me if you still live in Rosewood? I promise I don't stalk.

It was unfair, she'd thought. He knew she lived in Rosewood because he was under the impression she studied at Hollis. But since he'd already graduated and was getting a new job, there was a good chance he no longer lived here. His phone number gave no hints either. If she only knew….

E: I'm sure you don't stalk (_please_, let's be real). However, the less you know, the better. I like being "the mysterious hunk" in your life ;). Can't lose that, can we!

Ari.A: Ezra, please. I'm being serious. What are you so afraid of? Do you not trust me?

E: Aria, I'm not going to tell you. You don't want to get involved with a guy like me-I'm not good for you. Anyway, I've got to run. I'll talk to you later.

Ari.A: Don't you _dare_ leave without telling me what the hell you're talking about! Stop being so cryptic all the time! Who said anything about getting involved? Last I checked, friends are meant to hang out with friends. That's all I wanted!

Okay, so that was a lie. In all honesty, she very much wanted to get involved. But he didn't need to know that.

E: Aria, don't kid yourself. You and I know very well what you want. You're thinking that we'll meet for the first time and fall in love at first sight like one of your pathetic stories, right? Well, I'm here to cut that fantasy short. It's not going to happen. I'm sorry.

Ari.A: You're a dick.

With that, she had logged off and cried herself to sleep. She had never felt so alone in her life. There was no one to turn to, no one knew about him. And it felt as though he had turned his back on her too. Up until that point, they'd never acknowledged what their relationship was; Aria had wanted to keep it that way for fear of risking their friendship if he didn't feel the same way she did. With that one message, Ezra broke everything. In the process of telling her they would never happen, he'd hurt her enough to break their friendship. He'd also made her realize the extent of her feelings. None of her previous breakups hurt as much as the rejection she received from Ezra.

That night, he'd called her repeatedly and she had repeatedly ignored his calls. Then he'd resorted to endless texts, telling her all sorts of ridiculous things to get her to answer the phone.

Ezra: Aria, please answer. Please, let me explain.

Ezra: Aria, I'm having a heart attack, pick up the phone.

Ezra: I just need to know if you're okay.

Ezra: Aria, I don't deserve your pain. Please don't hurt for an asshole like me.

Ezra: Babe, if you pick up, I'll kick myself. Yes, down there. Wouldn't that be nice? Wouldn't you like to hear me in pain?

Ezra: Alright, that's it. You've left me no choice.

At that moment, her father had called her down.

"Aria! Phone for you."

She frowned, wiping her face. _No. _There was no way it was him, right? It couldn't be. Her dad called once again, impatient this time.

"Coming, dad!" Taking a breath, she'd gone down and taken the phone from him. His phone.

"Next time, please tell your friends to call on your phone, alright sweetheart?"

Aria took the phone from him in shock.

"He-hello?"

"Aria," a voice breathed. The relief in Ezra's voice was palpable. "I thought I'd never your voice again."

Aria clenched her teeth, stealing a quick glance at her dad. She couldn't exactly hang up in front of him, nor could she spout all the nasty things she wanted to.

"Why are you calling me on my dad's cell?" She asked, trying to maintain a blank tone.

"You left me no choice, babe. I searched up any numbers associated with yours and found this one. Are you okay? I'm so sorry, I-"

"Wait, what do you mean you _found_ it?" She asked, careful to phrase her words without giving anything away to her dad. "How did you do that?"

His deep chuckle reverberated through the phone, and a part of her longed to hear it in person and another part wanted to slap him for being able to laugh so soon after hurting her.

"It's not that difficult, Aria. Google is pretty amazing." His voice took a serious turn. "That's not why I called though. I am a lowlife, Aria-"

"I don't really want to hear it." She interrupted tonelessly. "Save it for someone who cares."

With that, she hung up and tossed a small smile at her father who gave her a questioning look.

"Everything okay?" He asked.

"Fine, dad. I'll just be upstairs." She managed before running back upstairs.

There wasn't much sleep that night, for Aria or Ezra. She stared at the ceiling for much of the duration, while he stayed up writing. A poem. For her.

When she'd logged onto HollisWrites the next morning with stuffy eyes and lucid bags, there it was, featured on the homepage._ To Aria_, it read. The poem was fifteen lines of long prose, beginning with an enchanting description of a girl called Aria, rich in metaphor and imagery. The second stanza repeated a single line: _He came upon her like a dark cloud_. The third stanza elaborated on who he was, without really saying who he was; it was all about the brooding layers of dark cloud. The final stanza went back to Aria, picturing her on a billowing cloud of ecstasy. Beautiful as it was, it broke her heart. Did Ezra really think of himself as a dark cloud descending on her perfect life? How sadly mistaken he was. Why would he think that?

Before she could think about it, she'd messaged him.

Ari.A: You're an idiot in my life, not a dark cloud.

Immediately, she received a ping back.

E: You read it, did you? Do you forgive me?

Ari.A: For your tactless words? Yes. For thinking you're a dark cloud? No. I don't think dark clouds double as mean critics, Ezra.

E: I'm sighing in relief and despair. That poem is as much as I can reveal without giving my entire self away. I just wanted you to understand why we can't meet. I'll only complicate your life, and for the worse.

Ari.A: Too late for that.

E: I know, I'm sorry. Maybe we should just stick to reviewing each other's stories from now on.

Her breathing had quickened.

Ari.A: Are you kidding?

E: Yeah, I don't think I could do that either. What is it about you, Aria? You drive me nuts but I just can't seem to stay away. ;)

Ari.A: Me? You don't even want to see me. I think you would be just fine without me.

E: Baby, I've only submitted three pieces to HollisWrites during all of my undergrad, and one of them is about you. I think that speaks volumes.

After that episode, which was incidentally their "First Big Fight" as Aria coined it, their conversations took a more serious turn. The flirting remained, but now there was a new element of _intimacy._ The question of meeting wasn't broached again, but instead, they spent nights texting about everything else under the moon. One time, Ezra even went so far as to talk about a childhood memory at his family's cottage. It was the most Aria received from his personal life so far, despite the fact that she was like an open book, willing to share her family and friends with him. It was at that point that she knew she meant something to him, and it was enough for her. At least, for now.

Back in the present moment, Kyiala was the first to break and thundered out of Aria's room to apologize and attack her with a bear hug. Aria was in the middle of eating cereal when her best friend pounced on her, calling Jacob down as well. He came rather grudgingly and offered his arms, which Aria smilingly wrapped herself around. Later that week, she and Kyiala planned Jacob's birthday, during which they also spent time talking about Ezra. Kyiala said she was jealous and that he sounded like a dream, but if he ever broke her best friend's heart, then he could say goodbye to his manly parts. They laughed, while ordering a lifesize cut-out of Sofia Vergara as a joke present for Jacob.

"At least now he'll know what it feels like to have an actual girlfriend," Kyiala joked.

When the cut-out arrived at Aria's house, she found that it was too large for the gift box they'd ordered. They were having the party a day early, because it was his unfortune that school started on the day of. In a panic, she dialled Kyiala's number and started rambling as soon she answered.

"Kyi, babe, it's seriously big. I'm talking huge. It won't fit inside! What do I do?!"

"Why not try pushing harder?" An amused voice that was not Kyiala, much less female, responded. "Aria, what exactly are we talking about here? Hopefully not what I'm thinking?"

Aria gasped._ No. _She could not believe it. She'd accidentally dialled Ezra's number and he thought...no, no, no. Maybe he didn't think it? How could she explain that, no, she was not in fact talking about _sex_, without completely embarrassing herself in the process?

Laughing shrilly, she decided to evade the topic.

"I'm so sorry, Ezra! I called the wrong person."

"I can see that." He replied, still in that amused tone. "It's not like you ever call me to discuss big things that don't fit inside. Actually, you never call me at all. Why is that?"

Aria hid a smile, even though he couldn't see her. _He'd noticed. _

"You mean to tell me you keep track of our phone calls? Poor Ezra, have you been waiting for a call from me for ages, then? I can't believe I've been so heartless."

"Indeed. You don't know how difficult it's been, Aria."

Aria laughed. "Well, I'm terribly sorry. I just didn't want to run the risk of interrupting your busy life."

"Aria, you can call me anytime and I will answer. Even if it's just to reprimand you for calling just as I'm about to enter a meeting," he teased.

"Or when you're out on a date." She blurted out.

There was a pause before Ezra spoke. "Aria, are you seeing anyone currently? Jacob, perhaps?"

She frowned. "What? No, of course not."

"Good. Neither am I."

Aria smiled widely. "Okay."

"Okay," he responded. "Now, as it so happens, I am actually due for a meeting in...five minutes. Shoot. If I don't jump out of this cab stuck in traffic and run like Usain Bolt, I will miss it."

Aria laughed as she heard the sound of a car door slam. He was serious!

"Alright, Mr. Bolt. I'll leave you to it then. Talk to you later?"

"That sounds nice. Goodbye, Aria!"

After hanging up, she decided to shoot him a flirty, domestic text before calling Kyiala.

Aria: Hope that meeting goes well, _honey_ ;). Knock'em dead for me!

Ezra: Thank you, darling. And make sure you've figured out how to make it fit by the time I get home tonight. I will stick that big thing inside if it's the last thing I do, dammit!

Aria covered her mouth in shock. What a perverse monkey! She could feel her cheeks redden on impulse, and decided she wouldn't encourage him with a response.

Ezra: Don't blush too hard, babe. Save all bodily functions for me. ;)

Aria groaned, shaking her head. He was such a nuisance, but he was _her_ nuisance.

After a talk with Kyiala, a new box was arranged for and Jacob's party went as well as they could have hoped. As predicted by Kyiala, he immediately made out with his cut-out upon receiving it. All in all, a good way to end the summer.

The first day of school had Aria in jitters. Senior year meant business, and she didn't know how prepared she was for senioritis. Ordinarily, she would have caught a ride with Jacob but he had to go in early for basketball practice, and she decided a nice walk might be better than taking the bus. It was a much longer walk than she anticipated, and by the time she arrived at the school, the final bell had just rung.

Aria quickened her pace once she saw that most people had already gone into their classrooms and the hallways were empty for the most part. Stooping down to retrieve a text book from her locker, she heard footsteps making their way to her.

"Excuse me, miss," a deep voice called.

Aria looked up to see a ridiculously good-looking man peering down at her. He was holding a map and waved a hand through curly brown hair. _Damn_, Aria thought.

"I'm sorry to bother you, but do you happen to know where Room 203 is?" He let out a chuckle. "It's my first day at a new job and I've already managed to show up late."

Aria smiled warmly at the sound of his laughter. _He laughs like Ezra._

"No worries, it's the first day. I'm sure Principal Haney will go easy on you," she reassured him. "As it so happens, I actually have that class first. English, right?"

He nodded, smiling back. "That's right. Thanks so much, this building is like a maze. I'd probably cry from frustration if you hadn't turned up."

She laughed. "It's no problem. Shall we walk together?"

"Lead the way," he replied, placing a hand on her back. Aria was surprised at first, and then realized that somehow, it didn't feel out of place there.

"I didn't catch your name, by the way. So I can thank you properly," he explained, winking.

Aria flushed slightly. "It's Aria."

"Aria," he repeated thoughtfully.


End file.
